/Staff or /MA for Elec/ ?

[11Troy11]

The title pretty much sums it up. 

 

I was thinking staff/elec to combine staff's defense with alec's resistance, but I'm told that Storm kick might do a better job of that. Then again, staff has better air, and (I'd I understand the buffs tank got recently) tanks are uniquely situated to take advantage of that.

 

Needless to say I'm a bit torn, and would appreciate any/all opinions.

[Force Redux]

by air, i imagine you mean AoE?

 

Yes, Staff does have better AOE, its one of the best sets for it, and does benefit from the recent buffs.

 

However, MA's Dragon's Tail also benefits from the AoE improvements (with its singular aoe), and you can now get Dragon's Tail IIRC by level 16, which is much better. So MA isn't entirely bereft. 

 

I personally like the +Defense vs All Positions and All Elements (no Psi or Toxic) that Dragon's Tail offers. vs. Guarded Staff's 15% vs lethal / melee, but its really just apples and oranges, since they are well balanced vs. each other. 

 

If you do NOT have any form of DDR (ie, Electric Armor) from your Primary, I would go with Staff. The extra +5 defense vs. Melee is what you want to help buffer debuffs and Melee is where the most danger will come from.

 

However, if you do have DDR from your Primary, I would lean toward Martial Arts, because you get a whole lot more Defense to spread across types/positions and you're more likely to keep it and not have it debuffed. 

 

Of course, the most important thing is, which visuals do you enjoy looking at over and over? Which sound effects do you prefer?  That's really important.

Other considerations:

 

Staff has no 'No Redraw" option. 

Staff unfortunately has (IMO) a rather limited selection of models, most of which I find ugly. They need an elemental staff (fire, electrictiy, cold and darkness). And a Rularuu staff. 🙂

Staff has a little bit of range.

Staff has its builder mini-game with its forms.

Newer power set, so a bit more polish numerically. 

 

MA can be tweaked to be either mostly kicks, or more punches. I like the kicks better, personally, because the Street Justice moves are more punchy to me. 

MA allows you to do some control via KD, KB and Stun. You can actually do some serious stun stacking if you build for it. Its a bit random, but it is an option. 

MA lets you CHUN LEE kick Hellions into outer space. Honestly, this has more value than can be put on paper.

And older power set that shows a little bit of age (in that the stuns are mostly % random and could use some increased reliability). There are also a lot of Single Target powers, so you won't need them all, just pick the three that work for you. 

 

There's no bad choice, I personally would decide how much AOE you can live with , think about how you enjoy the visuals/sounds, and what fits your concept best. These are both solid secondaries for Tanks. 

[tellania]

I have a baby electric/staff tanker, and, it appears many go janitor theme (like I did).  Do the DFB, get the 'cleaner' badge, and you are set.   Dont forget to choose a broom for your staff ... admit it, you want to do it ...

[drdread]

I have a level 50 elec/staff tanker. You can get guarded spin to stack with recharge reduction. I don't have haste, but it could help as well to keep two stacks of guarded spin active.